Three Things You Should Remember When Buying Used iPhones

With the dwindling economy and the amount of unemployed people rising in the country, it is becoming increasingly difficult for regular people (like us) to afford products such as the iPhone. Letâs take the iPhone 5, for example. Though Apple Inc. has marketed the said mobile device for only $199, many experts agree that owning one would cost more than that.

For instance, a 16 GB iPhone 5 can bought for $199 with a two year AT&T or Verizon contract. However, if you donât want a contract and you want your device to stay unlocked, youâll have to shell out $649 for the device alone. If you did buy an iPhone 5 with a two year contract, youâll probably spend about $50 per month on the data services with very minimal usage. In two yearâs time, you will have spent almost $1,200 for your contract alone. This does not include all the accessories and applications you need to buy for your iPhone especially since it has a different design than the older iPhone models. All in all, you could be spending so much more on your iPhone 5 over the course of a year and you barely even notice the difference.

While it is very understandable that people would want to spend that much money on consumer electronics, the iPhone buying behavior remains a habit that a lot of people just canât understand. Non-Apple fans would probably be surprised to know that millions of people actually practice selling and buying used iPhones as a way of updating their gadgets every year or two. In a nutshell, they buy devices every year or every two years and sell the old ones to a refurbishment site which in turn sells it as a used iPhone. This makes it possible for Apple fans all over the world to buy cheaper units.

Itâs easy to sell an iPhone because all you have to do is gauge your deviceâs reselling value. However, buying used iPhones does not come easy. That is why we came up with three things that you should remember when shopping for a refurbished iPhone:

1. Decide on a model wisely. Before anything else, you have to know what exactly you are looking for in a device. Will it be an iPhone 4S or an iPhone 5? Will it make more sense to buy a refurbished 16 GB or 64 GB? What are the tech specs of the device you want and what condition would you want your device to have? How much are you willing to spend on an iPhone? Knowing exactly what you want will not only save you time when the transaction begins, itâll also make searching easier for you and the company.

2. From auction sites like eBay, you must be keen on the iPhoneâs physical deformities such as scratches, cracks or dents. Upon receiving the product, the first thing you need to do is check the externals for deformities and port connection problems by charging the iPhone. You should also try to test the device by calling and sending a text message to make sure the phone is working well. You could also try browsing the Internet by using the Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity. This way, if something is not working with the device that was not acknowledged beforehand by the seller, you can easily return the iPhone.

3. Inquire about warranties and technical support. Itâs also very important to know about the sellerâs warranty and support status before going on with the transaction. Make sure that you have the sellerâs address, number and email so that you can contact them directly if you experience problems with the iPhone.

All in all, buying and selling used iPhone all boils down to researching, checking and inquiring! You have to research more about your iPhone, check the goods you receive thoroughly and ask about the nitty gritty of each transaction you come across with! Good luck!

With the dwindling economy and the amount of unemployed people rising in the country, it is becoming increasingly difficult for regular people (like us) to afford products such as the iPhone. Letâs take the iPhone 5, for example. Though Apple Inc. has marketed the said mobile device for only $199, many experts agree that owning one would cost more than that.

For instance, a 16 GB iPhone 5 can bought for $199 with a two year AT&T or Verizon contract. However, if you donât want a contract and you want your device to stay unlocked, youâll have to shell out $649 for the device alone. If you did buy an iPhone 5 with a two year contract, youâll probably spend about $50 per month on the data services with very minimal usage. In two yearâs time, you will have spent almost $1,200 for your contract alone. This does not include all the accessories and applications you need to buy for your iPhone especially since it has a different design than the older iPhone models. All in all, you could be spending so much more on your iPhone 5 over the course of a year and you barely even notice the difference.

While it is very understandable that people would want to spend that much money on consumer electronics, the iPhone buying behavior remains a habit that a lot of people just canât understand. Non-Apple fans would probably be surprised to know that millions of people actually practice selling and buying used iPhones as a way of updating their gadgets every year or two. In a nutshell, they buy devices every year or every two years and sell the old ones to a refurbishment site which in turn sells it as a used iPhone. This makes it possible for Apple fans all over the world to buy cheaper units.

Itâs easy to sell an iPhone because all you have to do is gauge your deviceâs reselling value. However, buying used iPhones does not come easy. That is why we came up with three things that you should remember when shopping for a refurbished iPhone:

1. Decide on a model wisely. Before anything else, you have to know what exactly you are looking for in a device. Will it be an iPhone 4S or an iPhone 5? Will it make more sense to buy a refurbished 16 GB or 64 GB? What are the tech specs of the device you want and what condition would you want your device to have? How much are you willing to spend on an iPhone? Knowing exactly what you want will not only save you time when the transaction begins, itâll also make searching easier for you and the company.

2. From auction sites like eBay, you must be keen on the iPhoneâs physical deformities such as scratches, cracks or dents. Upon receiving the product, the first thing you need to do is check the externals for deformities and port connection problems by charging the iPhone. You should also try to test the device by calling and sending a text message to make sure the phone is working well. You could also try browsing the Internet by using the Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity. This way, if something is not working with the device that was not acknowledged beforehand by the seller, you can easily return the iPhone.

3. Inquire about warranties and technical support. Itâs also very important to know about the sellerâs warranty and support status before going on with the transaction. Make sure that you have the sellerâs address, number and email so that you can contact them directly if you experience problems with the iPhone.

All in all, buying and selling used iPhone all boils down to researching, checking and inquiring! You have to research more about your iPhone, check the goods you receive thoroughly and ask about the nitty gritty of each transaction you come across with! Good luck!